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Bonus Day!

Today was an extra day off for me. I earned a bonus day by participating in the employee wellness program. I slept late (until 7am), finished reconfiguring my desktop computer (had to do a second restore to get the missing directories to show up), returned the other HD I bought and headed out of town. For all that it was a day off, I still didn't get to do anything I wanted to do that was fun. It was just a day away from work to try and catch up on household chores.

Random Observations:First, why is it that I have the greatest trouble with the sudoku puzzles marked "easy"? I never have any difficulty with the ones marked "hard", "very hard" or "evil". Just the "easy" ones. I don't get it. It's not just a fluke either. It happens almost every time there is an "easy" puzzle in the paper.

I managed to get lost trying to find an Italian restaurant but didn't really get lost. Mostly I didn't find the restaurant (which I must admit I didn't really know the location of anyway). I did find Belle Meade, which is a tiny hamlet, but still politically independent from the metro area surrounding it. There is a large antebellum mansion there (also named Belle Meade). I didn't see the mansion though there were plenty of other huge houses.

Note to the raptors in the area: my car is NOT a rodent, even if it is small and gray. Please, do NOT swoop over me when I'm driving, even if you are just trying to show off your new pedicure. (Yes, I could see talons, the hawk was that close.) I did manage to not duck. Apparently the hawk decided at the last minute that my car was not going to be suitable for dinner and swooped on across the road and up onto a power pole.

In case you were curious, the drive today to took 2.5 episodes of "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" on my iPod. :o)

The valet guy at the hotel remembered my car from two weeks ago. He *loves* my little car and once again made a point of parking it right by the front door so that it can be kept under constant observation. I tipped him well. :o)

Note to self: buy a second contact lens case for travelling and just leave it in the travel bag. That way you won't forget it half the time and have to punt.

Dining Out and Eating BetterThis article came out today regarding the blossoming calorie content of restaurant entrees. Here's the key to eating out without becoming as large as the United Center: DON'T CLEAN YOUR PLATE!!! If you can't stand to throw away the food you ordered, but aren't going to eat right now, then order a lunch portion or get a box to take the leftovers home. Basically, you need to decide what you want more--the extra bites of flavor (and the uncomfortable feeling of being overly full) or to be thinner and healthier. Which of those two things "tastes" better to you?Whilst I did not find my first choice of Italian restaurants, I did eat at a regular standby, The Old Spaghetti Factory. It's a six block walk one way (only uphill on the way back), so I got a bit of a workout and a meal. Fortunately I was a party of one or else I'd have had a 15-20 minute wait. Instead, I was seated immediately. Victor, my server for the evening, was finishing up a party of 20 (mostly kids). Nonetheless, my salad, bread and beverage were brought out immediately. Right about the time I finished the salad, Victor informed me that the kitchen was out of eggplant, so no eggplant parmesan. I had spaghetti with mushroom sauce instead. I did NOT eat the entire portion. I also did not eat the entire loaf of HOT, fresh Italian bread, though I could have. These loaves aren't the mini loaves you see at most restaurants. This is an actual loaf-pan-sized loaf of bread (about 8x4 inches). And HOT, served with sweet butter. Mmmmmmm. I almost asked to take the remains of it home, but I figured I'd just end up pigging out on it in the hotel room, so I let it go. All entrees come with ice cream. I had spumoni instead of vanilla. Now I'm having a nice cup of hot tea in my hotel room (brought the tea bags from home).

I have almost got my list of 12-20 recipes for dinner options compiled. Now I just need to sort out a regular grocery list and I'll be all set. W00t!